HomiSidle
by QTR
Summary: A confrontation at a bar involving Sara has Nick uncover something he wished he had never stumbled apon. He never knew Sara had a brother. NS
1. The Bar

**A/N: This is the first NS fic I've written. I hope you guys enjoy it!**

Nick walked into the bar he had passed so many times on his way to work. He wasn't normally the boozer...but tonight he really could go for a drink. Shift had been hard as always, the usual suspects that were the big asses of the day...some even more-so than Ecklie. Coming into the lab that morning after being woken up earlier than he wanted and a ten minute shower to a pot of lukewarm motor-oil coffee certainly had not put a smile on his face.

After throwing the double-doors to the bar open, he looked around at the people sitting in the bar. There were a few couples sitting at tables and the singles were left to sit on the barstools or at one of the smaller tables, probably drinking their sorrows away, beer after beer after beer. Nick walked over to one of the stools and took a seat.

"What could I get you, Sir?" a male waiter asked Nick as he made his way over to him, grabbing a glass from off the bar and putting it in the sink.

"Um...just a beer, I guess," Nick said.

"Sure."

The waiter walked off with a nod and went to the back to retrieve a cold beer from the cooler. Nick sighed deeply, resting his head on his arm, propping it up on the bar with his elbow. Looking around, he couldn't help but notice all the drunk men and women going around flirting aimlessly with other drunks. Nick couldn't believe how stupid some people could be- they'd let themselves get so drunk they couldnt't even think straight anymore or form a coherent sentence and then they'd let someone pick them up in a bar and take them home to their beds.

Sighing, Nick wondered where his beer was. Did it really take that long to run around to the back of the small building and get a beer from the cooler?

Nick looked over at one woman standing in the corner of the bar alone. She was wearing a long-sleeved t-shirt and jeans, not the typical bar attire, Nick deducted, though he was one to talk- he almost ended up coming to the bar in blue scrubs from the CSI lab. This woman had long curvy legs that led his gaze up to her stomach. She was stick-skinny...almost unhealthy skinny. He finally brought his gaze up to her head and saw her golden brown hair that fell just below her shoulders. He caught a glimpse of her face when she brushed a strand of hair away with her hand.

Wait...Nick knew who this was...this was Sara!

"Sar?" Nick asked, more to himself than anyone else in the room. What was she doing here? She had left early that day, she had closed her case and asked for the rest of the day off to get some rest. She shouldn't be at a bar, she should be at home in bed, asleep, Nick thought. What was she doing? It was late- almost 11:00 pm and she was out at a bar.

Nick's beer finally arrived and he took it almost greedily from the waiter and handed him some money. Carrying his opened beer with him, he slowly headed over to Sara, stopping only when a large group of drunks walked in his way. "Excuse you," Nick muttered, watching as they walked in front of him, moving at not even a mile an hour, all coming and coming like cars in a line of traffic.

"I just wanted to say hi to Sara," Nick muttered, watching as they still crowded in front of him. He poked his head over the large group of people and looked around for Sara. She was still in the same spot she was before, occasionally taking sips of her beer. And then something happened that made Nick tense up. A man, obviously drunk, walked over to her- he had black hair and brown eyes and was slightly shorter than Nick, but still had a relatively strong build. Nick didn't like where this was going, he knew Sara well enough to know she wasn't going to socialize with random drunk people at bars...

Nick cursed under his breath as he saw another line of people coming to crowd in front of him and keep him away from Sara. These people were getting so annoying! They were only exaserbating the situation, and Nick didn't like the way this man was looking at Sara, not one bit. This man looked like he was undressing her with his eyes...he wasn't good news, Nick could tell right away.

Nick saw the man's jaw move up and down a few times with words, though he couldn't decipher anything he was saying. Sara didn't seem interested one bit by the man, that was good, Nick decided. She didn't need to get mixed up with a freak she saw at a bar. And then Nick could begin to decipher what he was saying...

"Come on, baby," he hissed, his voice raspy and his words slightly slurred. He grabbed Sara's arm, trying to pull her toward him, and Nick just watched as she struggled to tear her arm away from the grip he had on her.

"Go away," Sara told him, still trying to tear her arm away from him.

"Don't be like that," he told her, pulling her to him by her arm. Holding her arm against his chest, he wrapped an arm around her waist and held onto her tightly. His face was now centimeters away from hers. "Let's go some place quieter," he whispered into her ear, silencing her by pressing his lips against hers. She squirmed as he led her out of the bar with him and Nick quickly shoved past the line of people in his way and headed out of the bar behind them.

Outside, the man had pushed Sara up against the wall forcefully and held her in place with one hand holding tightly onto her shoulder and another still around her waist. His mouth came crashing down on hers and he pushed his tongue into her mouth, kissing her long and hard. Now one hand was still strapped tightly around her waist and the other was between the valley of her breasts. He brought his hand up off of her waist and slowly slid one of the straps of her bra down her shoulder. His other hand near her chest squeezed one of her breasts, making her whimper.

Nick ran outside and took the scene in front of him in. "Get the hell away from her!" he yelled. Why wasn't someone else doing something? Had they not seen him drag her out of the bar? Had they not heard her tell him to leave her alone?

The man stopped before he could get any further and turned to look at Nick. "Who the hell are you?" he asked. "I got her first, too bad," he told him, turning back towards Sara, about to kiss her again.

"Nick!" Sara yelled, shutting her eyes tightly.

"I said to get away from her!" Nick yelled, running over to him and pulling him off of her. The man growled angrily, looking over at Nick.

"Get out of here, you bastard!" the man yelled.

Nick avoided being punched in the face by the man as he swung at him and ducked just in time. He then threw a punch of his own, clipping the man right in the face. He backed up, trying to figure out what just happened before Nick hit him again, this time almost making him lose his balance. The man tried to thrown another punch at Nick but he was too slow and ended up falling down on the ground, groaning as he stared up at the sky.

Nick, breathing heavily, still trying to figure out what he just did, turned his head slowly to his right, looking over at Sara. She was staring at him with wide eyes and her body started shaking as she stared up at him in fear.

"It's okay, Sar," Nick told her.

Sara ran over to him, burying her face in his chest as she started crying. He ran his fingers through her hair and wrapped an arm tightly around her. "It's okay, Sar," he told her. "Shh...it's okay..."


	2. Surprise!

**A/N: I was surprised at how many reviews I got! Thanks, guys!**

_Three months later..._

There were gasps, there were whispers of confusion. There was the faint sound of a glass beaker shattering on the floor and papers falling to the floor in messy jumbles. Everyone in the lab soon grew silent as they saw the scene in front of them unfold. No one really quite knew what was going on. Sara Sidle had been walking down the hall and then out of nowhere someone jumped out and tackled her, and here they were just watching...waiting to see what was going to happen.

Catherine was walking out of the locker room on her way home when she saw Sara lying face down on the floor near the front door, just between the ballistics and DNA labs. She stopped momentarily, her mind still registering what was going on. There was a muscular man on top of her, holding her arms behind her back as she tried to throw him off of her.

"Warrick! Nick! Greg!" Catherine yelled. She knew she would stand no chance against this giant guy- he looked like an ad for a home gym or weight-loss pill.

"What?" Warrick asked, walking over to her, pulling a glove off of his hand.

"What's up, Cath?" Greg asked, jogging up behind Warrick.

"Huh?" Nick asked, being the last one to come up to Catherine.

And then they saw what was going on.

"Hey!" Nick yelled, running over to them. Warrick and Greg soon followed, but they stopped when they saw Sara make a move. She quickly flipped the man over, her now laying against him on her back, and she tore her arms away from him, flipping him over and getting him into the same position he had her in to begin with.

"What the hell was that?" Sara asked the man she was now pinning down.

He laughed. "I told you to keep your eyes open," he said.

"I'm at work!" Sara yelled.

"You always have to be on your toes," he told her. "You never know what will happen when," he said. In a few swift movements, he had gotten to his feet and pulled her up by her arm, slamming her back against the wall and holding her in place by her wrists. "What now, Ms. Sidle?" he asked.

"This really isn't the best timing," she told him.

He shrugged. "Rapists, murderers, and muggers don't care if it's convienient for you."

She sighed. "You're scaring everyone," she muttered.

"Then by all means, make me stop," he said with a smile.

Nick stopped in mid-step. What was going on?

"I'm sore today," she sighed.

"Pain is a good thing!" he said.

"You think so?" she asked with a raise of an eyebrow.

"Yes I do," he told her.

"Alright then.." she said. "Because you're going to be in a lot of pain before this is over." And with that, she brought her leg up and kneed him in the stomach. He quickly gasped for air, releasing the hold he had on her. She walked behind him and brought her elbow down on the back of his neck and he fell to the floor. She kneeled down beside him and whispered in his ear, "Next time, don't try this while I'm at work."

"DAMN!" came Warrick's voice. "Damn, Sara, what was that?" he asked. "You...really...kicked that guy's ass."

The man laughed, quickly getting to his feet and rubbing the back of his neck. "Hey, give me some credit," he said.

"Why should we?" Nick asked with a glare. "You just attacked our friend!"

"Wait," he said, holding his hands up. "I'm harmless, I'm her trainer."

"Trainer?" Nick asked.

"You see.." Sara said, stepping in front of the man to explain. "You see, Nick..after that...incident...at the bar that night...I, um...kind of...decided to brush up on my weaponless defense training...this is my trainer," she said, motioning toward the man from before.

"Hi," the man said, raising a hand to wave at them all.

"So..let me get this straight," Nick said. "You...just attacked her to..test her?" he asked.

"Yes," the man replied. "Um..Sara?" he asked, turning to her. "I'll see you later."

"Okay," Sara told him. "Bye."

Nick watched the man leave and then turned back to Sara. Why...did no one else think this was such a big deal? Why was no one else doing anything? Nick wasn't sure, but he was sure about one thing- this guy gave him a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.


	3. No Time for Desert

**A/N: Thanks again to all who reviewed:)**

"Nick, look at these.." Catherine said, pointing to a set of tire treds they had collected at their latest crime-scene laid out on the table in the layout room. "These...just don't match up." Catherine turned to look at Nick, who was sitting on a stool by her. He was staring blankly at the wall as if it were the most interesting thing in the world...he was off in his own little world, obviously...he had been zoning out a lot lately...it was actually starting to worry her.

"Nick?" Catherine asked again.

Nick finally blinked, turning back around to face Catherine. "Cath?"

"I was...going over to the tire treds collected at the scene.." she told him, showing him the pictures. "And...I was saying that these two don't match up.."

"Oh, right," Nick said, clearing his throat and looking down at the pictures. "Right, tire treds..."

Catherine stared at him for a minute. Sighing, she folded her arms across her chest and tilted her head. "You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?" she asked.

Nick smiled a little, looking down at the floor. "No, actually...sorry."

Catherine smiled. "It's okay..." she told him. "What's up, Nick? You've been...kind of out-of-it all day...you feeling okay?" she asked.

Nick nodded slowly. "Yeah, I'm fine, I just have a lot on my mind." And then with a small laugh, he added, "Obviously not the case, huh?"

Catherine smiled again, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Take a break, go get some coffee, we can finish this later."

"Thanks Cath," Nick told her, walking out of the layout room with his arms to his sides. It was the truth, he did have a lot on his mind...ever since that day when Sara's trainer had come into the lab and basically attacked her, he had been really worried about her. There just seemed like there was something up with that guy...and Nick didn't like the fact that he actually spent time, alone, with her. She was his friend...and he cared about her.

He remembered her telling him, "For what it's worth, you've got me." _Well,_ Nick thought, _for what it's worth, you've got me too, Sar... _And it was true, as well, in high school, he was dependable, and that was one trait he had never lost in all his years of growing up. He was always there for his friends, in the good times and the bad.

Walking toward the break room, he stopped when he reached the locker room when he saw someone sitting on the bench between the two rows of lockers. It was Sara.

Slowly, Nick walked into the locker room toward her. She looked absolutely exhausted, and he knew that she was still meeting with her trainer that day after working some odd hours straight. Nick had noticed her coming into work with various injuries, most of them bruises, which worried him even more (though he did know that working with her trainer, especially from the 'practice session' they had in the lab the other day would give her bruises). And she was also showing the physical signs of what the sessions were helping her improve in- she had actually become much more muscular over the past few months.

"Hey Sar," Nick said, stopping when he was a few feet away from her slouched-over form on the bench, currently trying to tie her shoe.

"Hey Nicky," Sara said with a smile. Wincing, she finished tying her shoe and sat up, going through the rest of her locker.

"Are you okay?" Nick asked her.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she told him. "Just sore," she assured him. Turning to look at him, Nick noticed the bruise on her forehead that she had apparently tried to cover up. Nick grimaced a little, walking over to her. "What are you doing?" she asked him.

Nick didn't say anything, he only reached his hand out toward the bruise and gently brushed his fingers against it, stopping only when she winced. "Sorry!" Nick told her, withdrawing his hand. "I'm...really sorry, gosh..." he said, looking down at the floor and fidgeting nervously.

Sara smiled. "It's okay, Nick," she told him again. "I know you're just concerned, but really, I'm fine," she told him, shooting him another reassuring smile.

"Okay.." Nick said. "How...how did that happen?" he asked, motioning to his own forehead. "It looks pretty nasty.."

"Weapon-less defense training isn't gentle, Nick," Sara told him, taking her jacket out of her locker and closing it, re-attaching her lock.

"I know.." Nick said. "But...I mean..did you fall and hit your head, or something?" he asked. He wanted to know, and he wasn't going to stop until he got a satisfactory answer from her.

"I ran into a door," she told him with a small smile. "I don't exactly like going around telling everyone stories that reveal how clumsy I am," she said with a wink, turning around and heading out of the locker room.

Nick smiled, walking after her. "So...you clocking out?" he asked.

"Yup...why?" Sara asked.

"I was just thinking...maybe we could...have dinner..?" Nick asked. "Cath said we could go over the evidence for our case later...I don't think dinner would be a big deal.."

Sara thought for a minute and then nodded slowly, smiling. "That sounds good, actually..I'm really tired tonight, I'll call Kyle and cancel today's session."

"Your trainer?" Nick asked.

"Yeah.." Sara said, taking her cell phone out. "Hang on a minute," she said, dialing his number and putting the phone up to her ear. Walking off for a minute, she came back and put her phone in her back pocket, shooting Nick a smile. "Okay, ready, you?"

"Yeah," Nick said with a smile. "Let's go."

After dinner, Nick and Sara started walking out of the restaurant after paying the bill. "Hang on a minute," Sara told him. "I think I left my jacket at the table..."

"Okay," Nick told her. "I'll wait outside." Nick walked out of the restaurant and put his hands in his pockets, waiting for her to return. Slowly moving his body back and forth, he took a big breath and exhaled deeply, taking in the cold air and exhaling the warm air. Absent-mindidly, Nick silently counted to ten a few times as he waited for Sara to return. She was just getting her jacket, Nick knew, but for some reason it seemed like this was taking much too long...much too long for his comfort.

And then he heard the crash and the gasps coming from the people inside the building. Jumping, Nick thought he must have leapt at least two or three feet off the ground as he tried to find out what was going on. A couple ran out of the restaurant quickly with shocked expressions on their faces, and Nick now knew something was definetly up...not just a waiter dropping a glass or a plate or something...this could be serious.

Running in through the doorway, Nick's eyes widened when he saw what was going on. Tables and chairs were turned over, silverware was on the floor, and what caused it? A man was laying limp on the ground, Sara stood hovering over him, breathing heavily as everyone just stared at the two. Nick swallowed hard, walking over to her. "Sar..?" Nick asked, putting a hand on her shoulder cautiously. He withdrew it when he could feel her muscles tensing underneath his hand. "Sar, it's me.." Nick told her.

Sara took a deep breath, turning her head a bit and looking down at the floor. "Let's just get out of here," she told him, taking her jacket and walking out of the building. As she walked, the people standing by her seemed to just move out of her way, almost as if they were scared of her. Nick didn't blame them, though...Sara could be scary when she was angry...

Nick quickly jogged out after Sara. "Sar, what happened?" Nick asked. "Are you okay?" Sara turned to face Nick, and that was when he saw the blood trickling down her arm. "Sar..you're bleeding," Nick told her. Taking his jacket off, he slowly slid the sleeve of her shirt up to reveal a gash about four inches long. "Jeez, Sar.." Nick said. "What happened?" he asked again.

"I...really don't know," Sara told him. "I walked back inside to get my jacket...and this guy just came up to me with a broken glass and lashed out at me.." she said.

Nick sighed, wrapping his jacket around her arm and tying it in a tight knot. She winced, and he quickly apologized. "Sorry, Sar.." Nick told her. "But..the bleeding needs to stop.." he said. "It's going to need stitches...go get in the car and I'll take you to Desert Palms...I'll call Catherine and tell her," Nick said. Sara just nodded slowly- Nick could tell she was still shooken up- and walked over to the car, opening the door and getting inside, holding her injured arm in her lap.

"Cath?" Nick asked over the phone. "Yeah, it's Nick. What? No, everything's okay...there was just a little incident at dinner...yes I'm okay...Sara got hurt, though...no, she's okay, she's just going to need a few stitches on her arm...no..it's not terrible, it's a cut..she got cut on some glass, some guy attacked her.." Nick told her. "Yeah...we're going to Desert Palms...okay, thanks Cath. Bye," Nick said, hanging the phone up. Walking over to the car, he got inside, turned the car on, and they drove off to the hospital.


	4. Casefile Discovery

**A/N: Thanks again for all the reviews, guys!**

After a long night at the hospital waiting for a nurse to finish stitching up Sara's injured arm and remove all the tiny shards of brown glass from it, Nick had made a decision. He was not going to let Sara go home to her apartment alone that night...something just told him that was a bad idea. He was worried about her anyways...and this way he could keep an eye on her all through the night.

As Nick and Sara walked to Nick's Tahoe, Nick opened the passenger side door for her and waited for her to get inside. Without protest Sara got into the car and let Nick close the door, watching as he jogged around to the driver's side door and got inside. After his door was closed, he hesitated before speaking.

"Sara.." he started. "I'm...going to stay with you at your apartment tonight."

Sara blinked, turning to look over at him. "Why?"

"I want to keep an eye on you," he explained. "You were just attacked...so...I want to make sure you're alright."

Sara nodded slowly, turning and looking down at the floor. Part of her was telling her to object, to make him go home and tell him that she would be alright alone at her apartment. But the other part of her was telling her to let him stay with her, and that part of her won, because quite frankly she did not want to be alone at her empty apartment tonight, she was still a bit shooken up after what had happened. "Okay," she said quietly.

"Okay?" Nick asked, a bit shocked. He was expecting to have to argue to let her stay with him.

"Okay," Sara replied.

"Um...alright," Nick said. Turning the key in the ignition, he started the car up and they backed out of the parking lot. Nick thought about turning on the radio to see what Sara would do...she really hadn't talked much after they had left the hospital, and he was just getting more and more worried about her. Turning to look at her as they stopped at a red light, Nick looked down at her bandaged arm. Reaching a hand out toward it, he gently brushed his fingers against it.

"What are you doing?" Sara asked.

"I'm sorry that happened," Nick told her.

"It's fine," Sara assured him. "I've had worse."

Nick thought to ask her about her last statement, but instead decided against it. Running his fingers up and down, he saw the black stitches underneath the white bandages and moved his hand towards them. She winced and he quickly withdrew his hand. "Sorry!" he said. "Damn it, I keep hurting you.." he said, turning to look down at the steering wheel.

"Nick, it's okay," Sara told him. "I know you don't mean to," she said, looking at the road. "It's not a big deal."

"Okay.." Nick said, though he still felt a bit guilty. Pressing his foot down on the gas pedal, the car started moving again and they headed toward her apartment again. The rest of the ride was silent, and he pulled into the parking lot of her apartment complex, parking right in front of the building. "Do you have your key?" he asked her.

Sara nodded, handing him the key. "103," she told him. Nick took the key and got out of the car, walking up to the door in front of the car. To his surprise, he had actually parked right in front of her apartment, and motioned for her to follow him. She got out of the car and he opened the door up, walking inside. "Sorry.." Sara told Nick. "It's a little messy...I haven't had a chance to straighten up...you know, with the cases we've had lately, I've just been...a bit forgetful, I guess."

Nick looked around- the building looked pretty torn up, actually. There was a vase on the floor, shattered into pieces lying on the floor in a messy pile. Then there was a picture hung up on the wall, of Sara and what looked to be a family member standing next to each other. The glass on the frame had also been shattered, and the pieces lay at the bottom of wall.

Nick had seen places like this before, but only at crime-scenes. These sorts of surroundings had usually been where a body was found, and the angry piles of thrown around furniture and broken glass had been signs that a struggle had ensued against the victim and the perp.

"Sara?" Nick asked. "What happened?"

Sara shot him a small smile. "I was a bit clumsy last night.." she said. "I came in and I had forgotten to leave some lights on...and so when I was looking for the light switch I tripped and knocked that vase over.." she said, pointing to the vase on the floor.

"What...about that picture?" Nick asked, pointing to the broken picture frame.

"I...don't know," Sara said. Then quickly changing the subject, she said, "I'm going to take a shower, make yourself at home. The remote is- well, should be- near the couch somewhere.." she said, heading down the hallway. "I'll be out soon," she told him, closing the bathroom door behind her after grabbing a towel and washcloth.

Nick nodded and walked into the living room to search for the television remote. Looking under magazines and pillows, his search came up empty, and instead he headed into the kitchen. Searching through a cupboard, he found a package of coffee. Getting out a filter and the other necessary items, he poured water and the coffee into the machine and started brewing it. He walked over to the kitchen table and took a seat as he waited for the coffee to finish making.

The kitchen table was filled with newspapers and magazines. Nick flipped through them, hoping to find something to read as he waited for the coffee to finish brewing, when he saw something that caught his eye. It was a small manilla folder, looking to be a casefile, and he took it out from under the pile of newspapers and magazines to look at it. On it was a small note that read "Read and call me later". Who was 'me', Nick wondered?

Hearing the water in the shower still running, Nick opened the file to look through it. He looked at numerous pictures that appeared to be of a crime-scene; a gun found near a dumpster that was plastered with graffiti, a bag of cocaine found inside the dumpster, and another bag filled with marijuana behind the dumpster. Flipping through to the next page, Nick looked at photos of the suspects, Nick deducted. One picture was of an african-american male with black hair. The next photo was of a hispanic male with black hair and a thin mustache.

After flipping through about two more photos, Nick noticed that the third looked a bit odd. The man in the third photo was a tall man with a strong build. He had brown hair and dark brown eyes. Nick couldn't tell but see an odd resemblance to someone he knew in this man...and then looking closely at him, he noticed something- this man was Sara's trainer.

Getting up, Nick grabbed Sara's driver's license from off of the kitchen counter. Holding it up to the other picture, so that they were side-by-side, he made the comparison. The resemblance was obvious, anyone could tell.

Looking down at the picture again, Nick looked at the name of the man. It clearly read in black ink 'SIDLE, DANIEL'. That was all the proof that Nick needed. This was one of Sara's relatives, it had to be.

Lost in his train of thoughts, Nick failed to noticed that the water in the shower had stopped running. Sara walked into the kitchen drying her hair, dressed in her pajamas. "Did you make coffee?" Sara asked. "That sounds good." And then she saw the file he was looking at. Her face drained of color immediately, and she paused, almost dropping the towel she had been using to dry her hair with.

"Sara.." Nick said, looking up at her. "What is this?" he asked, pointing to the folder in his hand.

Sara quickly walked over to him, snatching the file from his hand and putting it on the counter. "It's nothing," she told him. "It's just a case Grissom is having me work on."

"Sara..." Nick said. "You're working a case with me right now, remember?" he asked.

"This is a cold case, Grissom wants me to try and look over the evidence again so we can get a conviction."

Nick sighed, dropping his head. "I saw the picture, Sar."

"What..picture?"

"The picture of Daniel Sidle."

Sara swallowed hard, looking down at the floor. "And?"

"Who is he, Sara?"

"It's not important."

"If he was involved in a criminal investigation, then yes, it is important," Nick told her.

"Don't worry about it," Sara said. "It's none of your business."

Nick sighed. "Sara...please?" he asked.

"He's my brother," Sara said. "He got in a bit of trouble and I'm trying to help prove he's innocent."

"Is he?" Nick asked.

"Of course he is," Sara told him.

"Alright..." Nick said. "When did you discover he was in trouble?"

"Last night," Sara said, walking over to the coffee machine and pouring herself a cup. "He came over hear and asked me to help him."

Nick thought for a minute- the night before was when all of the destruction in her apartment had apparently taken place. Did that mean...that her brother had something to do with it? "Did he do anything, Sara?" Nick asked.

"What do you mean?" Sara asked, taking a seat across from him.

"Did you two...argue?"

"No."

"Sar..." Nick said quietly.

"We didn't."

"I don't believe you," Nick said. "I think you did..." he told her. "And I think that's how you got that bruise on your forehead."

Sara sighed, looking down at her mug of coffee. "He didn't mean to, he was drunk."

"That doesn't justify what he did, he's your older brother, he shouldn't have hit you."

"I'm used to it."

"What..?" Nick asked.

"Nothing," Sara said quickly. "It's nothing.." she told him.

"Okay.." Nick said, though he didn't want to change the subject quite yet. "Why did you lie to me?" he asked her. "Why did you tell me you ran into a door?"

Sara laughed a little. "I was desperate for an excuse," she shrugged.

"Okay.." he said. "And...why did you lie to me about your trainer? I know he's your trainer."

Sara sighed. "I don't know."

Nick looked down at the floor. "Do you know who that man that attacked you tonight was?"

Sara was silent for a minute, before replying. "Yes."

"Who was he, Sara?"

"He was..." And then there was a knock at the door. "Hang on.." Sara said, walking over to the front door of her apartment. Opening it up, she and Nick were both surprised when the person outside the door lunged toward her and pushed her against the wall.

"Hey Sis." Right away Nick could tell who it was. "I told you to call me after you had read that file, and that was supposed to be this morning."

"I got busy," Sara told him. "I'm sorry."

"I'm sick of your apologies," Daniel hissed. "You were supposed to read it, that was our agreement. I told you there would be consequences if you didn't read it."

Sara sighed. "I know."

Daniel smiled, looking down at her arm. "I see you do," he told her. "So did you read it?"

"Yes."

"And you know what to do?"

"Danny, you know I can't.."

"Don't ever say you can't, Sara," Daniel said. "You know you can do it."

"I'm with the law, I can't do this!"

"All you have to do is plant a little evidence!" Daniel said. "That's it! And then deliver some drugs! Is that a big deal?" Sara didn't reply, looking down at the floor. "Is it?" he asked, slamming her against the wall again.

Sara winced. "No."

"That's right," Daniel told her. "So call me later, and I'll give you the instructions," he said, walking out the door. "Oh and Sara.." he said, poking his head back inside. "Don't you dare tell anyone about this." And then he slammed the door.

Sara sighed, wrapping her arms tightly around herself and sinking to the floor. Nick quickly ran over to her, kneeling down beside her.

"Sar..."

"Thank you for not letting him see you," Sara told him. "He would have lost it if he had."

"Sara..." Nick said. "I'm actually disappointed that I didn't do something...he could've really hurt you."

"It's okay.." Sara said. And then getting to her feet, she headed down the hallway. "I'm going to sleep," she told him, walking into her bedroom and closing the door behind her. Nick was about to say something but her door had already closed.


	5. I Promise

**A/N: Thanks again for the reviews, guys! You guys rock! And to answer Isabell89's question, her brother was her trainer )**

Nick was lying on the couch staring up at the ceiling with his hands folded in front of him resting on his lap. His mind was still trying to register what just happened three hours before. He discovered the file on Sara's kitchen counter and found out that not only was her brother trying to get her to help him with a drug scam, but that he was also her trainer. And then he thought about another thing- was there a possibility that there actually was no trainer, and that that was another excuse to help cover up the injuries she was getting? That would certainly explain that confrontation at the lab that had left him absolutely flabbergasted.

And then Sara had just been attacked, basically, in her own home by her brother. He had said something about what he was trying to make her help him with...something about planting evidence and delivering some drugs. And, Nick thought, if he was involved with a criminal investigation, that meant he was potentially dangerous...and he was Sara's brother...so...that meant that he was potentially dangerous for her. From just seeing the small little altercation she had with her brother that night, he could tell he was violent...and he didn't want that sort of person around Sara, even if he was her brother.

Looking around the apartment, as if to see if no intruders were inside, he sighed in relief to have found none. Still a bit paranoid, he made his way down the hallway and cracked the bedroom door open to check to see if Sara was still sound asleep. Smiling as he watched her tiny sleeping form move only with the steady rise and fall of her chest, he cracked the door, closing it only a little bit. Part of him wanted the door open, so that he could watch her at all times.

Nick walked into the kitchen and headed to the coffee pot. The old coffee from three hours ago had been left, cold and forgotten. It kind of reminded Nick of the coffee they had at the lab, actually. Not wanting a cup of cold, three-hour-old coffee, Nick poured the remaining coffee into the sink and started a fresh pot, sitting back down at the kitchen table as he waited for it to finish brewing. Looking down at the file on the table again, he sighed, examining the photos once again. Her brother had that look to him...that look all guilty suspects had. Sara had told him her brother was innocent...but he knew he wasn't, and truthfully, Nick could tell Sara did too.

Nick heard something coming from the bedroom and he quickly jolted up from his chair. What was that? Was that just Sara changing positions in bed to get comfortable? Or was that her brother or one of his 'buddies' trying to get into her room to inflict harm on her? Nick didn't know...and part of him didn't want to find out. Reaching for his gun, which was normally holstered on his hip, he cursed when he remembered he didn't have it. So, Nick took a deep breath, and with a gulp, he walked down the hallway to the bedroom.

Poking his head inside, Nick got ready to pounce at whatever it was that was making the noise. when he looked inside the room, he was relieved to see no one else inside except the still sleeping Sara and himself. Walking over to the bedroom window, he checked to make sure it was locked and shut all the way. After he noted that it was, he turned back around only to discover his gaze falling on Sara. She looked so peaceful as she slept...and she looked beautiful, even with the bruise on her forehead.

Nick had always been close to Sara...he thought, anyways. He always tried to be there for her when she was going through a tough time...she had been there for him, and he wanted to return the favor. But...through the years, Nick noticed that they had grown closer and closer, and he had started wondering if their frienship and work relationship wasn't becoming something more. Something with a deeper meaning.

Nick blinked, coming back to reality when he heard Sara start to stir. She groaned softly, probably starting to feel the injuries her brother had inflicted on her earlier, Nick thought, and she rolled over onto her back, squeezing her eyes shut tightly as she started to try and wake herself up. Finally she opened her eyes, her eyes adjusting to the small rays of light coming into the room from her now opened door. Her eyes locked themselves on a dark figure sitting next to her at the foot of her bed, and she jumped.

"It's me, Sar," Nick told her. "I'm sorry if I scared you, though, I didn't mean to..."

Sara took a deep breath, sitting up slowly. "It's okay..." she told him.

"Okay..." Nick said. "How...are you feeling?" he asked her.

"I have to say...this body of mine has seen better days," she said with a small smile. "But I'm okay."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Okay..." Nick said. "Well...hungry?" he asked her.

"A little bit.." she told him. "What do you have in mind?"

"What do you have in your fridge?" he asked her.

"I don't know..."

"Okay..." Nick said. "I'll see," he told her, getting up from her bed and walking out of the bedroom. Heading down the hallway, he made a turn into the kitchen and kneeled down in front of the fridge. Opening the drawers, he frowned when he saw that they were empty. And then looking up, on one of the shelves he discovered eggs. "Mind if I make you some eggs?" he asked.

"Not at all," Sara told him, walking into the kitchen and taking a seat at the table. Brushing a strand of brown hair out of her eyes, she looked down at the file on the kitchen table. Seeing that it was open, she suspected Nick had been going through it again, and she looked up at him as he cracked a few eggs on the side of a pan. "You...don't think he's innocent, do you?"

"Who?" Nick asked, turning to look at her. Looking down at the file, he took the hint of who she was talking about. "No..." he admitted. "Do you?"

Sara didn't say anything for a minute, and the entire room grew silent. Nick watched as she started playing with a small loose thread on the gray tank top she was wearing. She was obviously trying to avoid the question.

"Sar?" Nick asked.

"I don't know," Sara finally answered. "Part of me...really thinks he's guilty...but...another part of me doesn't want to believe it, y'know?" Nick watched as she looked down at his picture. She had seen enough of those pictures in her lifetime...and she never thought a member of her family would have one. And now that she thought about it, that was kind of funny in a sense, seeing how her mother had killed her father, and was now currently still serving time in the state prison in California. But...she never wanted to see another member of her family have a record.

Nick finished making Sara's eggs and set a plate down in front of her. Handing her a glass of orange juice as well, he said, "Sorry, you didn't have anything else other than water, so.." Sara had the most blank expression on her face. Normally he was pretty good at reading people, but at the moment, he had no idea what was going through Sara Sidle's brain. "Hey Sar?" Nick asked.

Sara blinked, brought out of her trance. "Huh?" he asked, turning to look up at Nick.

"I was saying...that all you had was orange juice or water, so.."

"Oh!" Sara said, pretending like she knew what he was actually talking about. "Right! Okay..."

Nick sighed. He could tell she wasn't paying attention. Sitting down across from her, he folded his hands over one another, looking over at her. "Sar...what's on your mind?"

"Nothing..." Sara said. Knowing that Nick was seeing right through her lie, she sighed. "Alright...I'm..just thinking about Danny."

"What about him?" Nick asked her.

Sara sighed again, playing with her scrambled eggs with her fork, suddenly not very hungry. "Just...what our relationship used to be like when we were younger."

"And...how was it?" he asked her.

Sara shrugged. "Good, at first...when I was really young...and then...when he got mixed up in drugs...he started to act differently..." she said. "And...I was so confused at the time, because...I didn't know why he was acting so differently...he was yelling at me...shoving me out of his room...just trying to block his family out of his life..."

Nick nodded slowly, letting her know that he was still listening.

"And...one day...we were playing hide and sink...and I found a bag of weed under his bed...though I was so stupid, I thought it was dirt." Nick was about to tell her that she wasn't stupid, but she continued, "And...my mom grounded him for a year...and after that...he just started...to hate me. He let his friends make fun of me at school and he laughed at me when I got hurt. He let Dad hit me...he used to protect me, but he didn't anymore..."

Nick blinked. She just said that her brother had gotten mixed up with drugs, okay...he kind of already figured that part out...but the part that he was having trouble swallowing was the part about her father hitting her. He never suspected anything like that...his parents weren't that way...his parents had always loved him dearly, and he knew they would never dream of hurting him. Obviously with Sara it was a different story. "Sara..."

"And we lost touch after we went into Foster Care."

"Why...did you go into Foster Care?"

Sara looked up at him with tear-stained eyes. "Mom killed Dad."

Nick froze. "I..."

Sara just nodded slowly, burying her face in her arms as she cried. Nick walked over to her and slowly put his arms around her. He wrapped them around her tighter when she leaned into him, and he slowly rubbed her back with his hand slowly. "Shh..." he told her. "Shh...it's okay..."

"Nick..." Sara whispered. "I'm scared."

"I know, Sar..." Nick told her, now wrapping just one protective arm around her and the other brushing hair away from her face. "I know you are..."

"He's going to hurt me," Sara whispered. "Just like Dad, he's mad. I can't do what he wants...you know I can't...and he's going to hurt me if I don't."

"Sar...it's okay," Nick told her. "I'm not going to let him hurt you.." he told her, holding her close. "I promise."

Sara just nodded as she continued to cry with Nick holding her. Finally Sara's breathing calmed until it became normal again, and Nick noticed that she had fallen asleep. Smiling, he lifted her into his arms and carried her to her bedroom, setting her down on her bed and covering her in the sheets and blankets, he kneeled down beside her, instinctively brushing a strand of hair out of her eyes. Then, Nick planted a kiss on the top of her head, whispering, "I promise, Sara...I'm not going to let him hurt you."


	6. A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words

**A/N: Thanks again for the reviews, guys! I'm glad you guys are enjoying the story!**

As soon as Sara was asleep, Nick got to work trying to figure out exactly what he was going to do. Sara's brother now definetly did not sound like the best guy to be around her, or anyone, for that matter, but at the same time, he did not seem like the best guy to piss off either. Nick's head was going around in circles- half of him wanted to beat the living daylights out of her brother for what he had done to her, and what he was still trying to make her do, and the other half of him didn't want to because he was worried of what would happen if he did. What...if he got arrested? What...if Daniel ended up going free and he went after Sara, and he couldn't protect her?

From what Sara told Nick, he deducted that her relationship with her brother was not very good nowadays. He could have figured that out himself, he thought, from him barging in her apartment and slamming her against the wall a few times, as well as seeing the bruise on her forehead. From what Sara had told him, it seemed that their relationship seemed to die down over the years of growing up, and finally disappeared all together when he got mixed up in drugs. Sara had been through enough, Nick knew, and he wasn't going to just stand here and let her drug-addict brother keep hurting her without doing something about it to protect her.

Grabbing his jacket, Nick picked the file Daniel had given Sara to read off of the kitchen table. Putting one arm in the jacket, he walked down the hallway to make sure Sara was still sleeping. Sure enough, she was sleeping soundly and quietly in her bedroom. Nick maked sure all the windows and doors were locked before he walked outside of the apartment and got in his Tahoe, driving out of the parking lot.

Nick needed to know more about Sara's brother...what all was on his record, if he had one, to know what he was fully capable of and what sort of threats he posed to his sister. Nick knew this was going to be a long night of staying up sitting in front of a computer with numerous cups of coffee in steaming hot styrofoam cups. But he had seen Sara do it more than one time before, and if she could do it, he could do it. And he needed to do this in order to help protect her.

Driving up to the lab parking lot, he got out of his car and walked up to the front doors. Walking inside, he looked from lab to lab to see the lab techs processing samples or on the computers doing something or other. Walking into one of the empty labs, he took a seat down in front of a computer and logging himself on. Sighing, his fingers hovered above the keyboard, he himself not exactly sure if he wanted to figure out what actually was on his record...if he had one at all. Finally decided apon it, Nick typed in the name, "DANIEL SIDLE" and waited to see what would come up.

There were about three or four Daniel Sidles that appeared on the screen with various mug-shots. The first was a blonde-haired man with blue eyes, and Nick quickly eliminated him as a possibility. The next was an older man, the third was a hispanic man, and Nick eliminated those as well. Finally, Nick clicked on the last picture and he found the Daniel Sidle he was looking for. Looking over his record, he had been arrested numerous times for drug possession and one breaking and entering.

Nick wasn't surprised at what he saw, actually he was surprised that he didn't have any counts of murder pinned on him too...yet, anyways. Scrolling down, Nick caught a glimpse of something else...it was his medical history. Looking it over, Nick noticed numerous trips to the hospital when he was a little boy. One of the trips was for a fractured arm, the other was for some trauma to his head. Maybe that was why he was the way he was, Nick thought with a roll of his eyes. But then...there was something else that caught his eye, something that Nick couldn't laugh about.

There was a mention of his younger sister. Sara was only six-years-old at the time. The file said that she too had been taken to the hospital for various injuries. Nick sighed, looking down at the floor. If...only someone had been there to protect her, he thought. If only someone had been there to try and help her, if only someone had been there to try and comfort her during the tough times, maybe she would be happier today.

Looking around the lab, almost as if making sure no one was watching him, he hit the backspace button and entered the name "SARA SIDLE" into the computer. Coming up with Sara's driver's license photo and registration information, he scrolled down to where he saw her past employment info. Finally, Nick picked up his cell phone and dialed the number to the hospital in California, the hospital he knew she and her brother went to. "Hi..." Nick started. "My name is Nick Stokes, I'm with the Las Vegas Crime Lab..." he trailed off. "I needed to ask a favor..."

In a matter of a few minutes, Sara's medical history was faxed over to him. Picking it up, he was surprised at how thick the file actually was. Sighing, he flipped it open and looked at the first page. One of the hospital visits was late at night, and she had come in for a large cut across her stomach that required eight stitches. According to the on-call doctor that night, he wrote that there were traces of brown glass caught in the wound. _Beer bottle, _Nick thought to himself. Looking through to the next page, he spotted another hospital visit, only about a week after the last.

The next hospital visit was for multiple fractures to her arm. The doctor wrote that the bone almost snapped in two. There was some bruising to the bone and tissue, and the doctor wrapped the arm in bandages and a sling and sent them home. Nick could already tell how she must've gotten that injury...maybe her father came home and pulled her out of his way by her arm, or he jerked her around a bit...

And then the next sight Nick saw made him want to gag. There were pictures. Actual photographs of the injuries he was reading about. The first picture he looked at showed a little Sara sitting in a hosptial chair with the thin white hospital gown lifted up slightly to show her stomach. Nick winced- this must've been the beer bottle slash she had gotten, he decided. Just looking at it made Nick hurt, it looked so painful, and he could see the little shards of brown glass still stuck in the wound.

The next picture was of her arm. She was sitting on a white hospital bed with her arm resting on a small table as the picture was being taken. Nick winced, yet again- there was a mottle of purple and black bruises covering her arm...he could see the finger abbrasions on it in various places, travelling both up and down her arm. It was still hurting him to just look at these...Sara looked so confused in the pictures. Confused...scared...and almost oblivious to anything around her.

Sitting petrified by the pictures, Nick jumped when he heard his cell phone ringing. Picking it up, he shakily put it to his ear. "Stokes..." he said quietly, not knowing how he was able to find his voice again after seeing the pictures.

"Nick?" came Sara's voice on the other line.

Swallowing hard, Nick answered, "Yes?"

"Where are you?" she asked him. "You weren't here when I woke up...I got scared..."

"Sorry, Sar.." Nick apologized. "I'll be right there, okay? I was going out to get something from my apartment..."

"Okay," Sara said with a yawn. "I'll see you in a minute."

"Okay," Nick said. "Bye." Putting his phone back into his pocket, Nick gathered up the papers and put them inside the file Daniel had given to Sara. Logging off of the computer, he stood up and grabbed his jacket, walking out of the lab.


	7. He Cares

**A/N: Thanks again, guys, for reviewing, and I hope you enjoy the new chapter! I'm going to try and inclue some NS angst in this next chapter!**

Reluctantly Nick had picked up his things and headed back toward Sara's apartment complex. A part of him really didn't want to go back to her apartment at the moment...his mind still needed time to register what he had just seen in her medical history file. The other part of him knew, though, that she didn't want to be alone, heck, he wouldn't want to be alone in this situation either, and at the same time, he himself needed to get back to her to make sure that she was okay. Now he was mentally cursing himself for leaving her alone...what if Daniel had tried to break into her apartment?

And also...Nick need to ask Sara about the pictures he saw, and about the things that he read. He had heard her say something about Daniel protecting her from their father...that her father hit her, but...he didn't really know at the time if that really was what she was saying. The pictures and doctor's notes had confirmed his doubts.

Still, the part of him that didn't really feel like going back to the apartment complex yet was making him debate on whether or not he should go for coffee...or maybe just pull over on the side of the road to take a minute to collect his thoughts. He decided against it when he remembered the possibility that something might have happened to her while he was gone and he continued on his way.

Reaching over the passenger's seat when he made it to the apartment complex and found a parking space, he held it in his hands for a minute. Did he really want to go back in there..? He wasn't so sure...the pictures of a young Sara were still stuck in his mind. Would he be able to look at her without seeing that same terrified, vulnerable, hurt little girl he had seen in those pictures?

With a sigh, Nick opened up his door and walked out, closing the door behind him. He walked up to her apartment and hesitated before knocking on the door softly. Looking down at the ground, he watched a bug crawl by his feet as he waited for Sara to open the door. Soon the sound of the lock clicking and the chain on the door being undone was heard and Sara opened the door up, looking up at him.

"Where'd you go?" she asked quietly.

"I went to get some fresh air, just to drive around a bit," Nick told her, cursing in his mind as he remembered he held the file in his hand.

And to his horror, Sara's gaze immediately fell down to the file he held in his hands. "What's that?" she asked.

"I took the file your brother gave you to look over.." Nick said.

Sara could tell the file looked much thicker than before, and she quickly snatched it out of his hands.

"Sar!" Nick said quickly. "Sar, give it back to me!"

"Why?" Sara asked. "What's so important that you can't show--" And then something fell out of the bottom of the folder. Sara didn't know what it was at first, but looking at it closer she deducted that it was a photograph. Kneeling down beside it, she slowly picked it up.

"Sar!" Nick said. "Don't--" But by then it was too late. Nick knew that she had already seen it. It was flipped over so that the image was facing both him and her, and he almost had to turn away when the strong urge to empty the contents of his stomach hit him. Sara stared at the picture for a long moment- looking at the image of a younger version of herself sitting on a white hospital bed as a nurse told her to stay still for the picture. She could remember those nurses...she could remember the sound of the camera going off when they took the picture, she could remember how bright the flash was afterwards.

As the memories quickly came flooding back to her, Sara slowly turned around, her fingers only barely holding onto the picture. "What the hell is this?" she whispered.

Nick grew silent. Really, he didn't know what to say. What the hell was it, he couldn't remember anymore? Sighing, he tried to think about what to do or say. He had gone to the lab to get information about her brother, not get information about Sara... He shouldn't have made that call to the California hospital to request her medical history, it wasn't his place, even if he was curious to know what she was talking about. "Sar..."

"Nick..." Sara said. "How...could you?" she asked. "How could you have done this?" she asked a bit louder.

"Sar..." Nick said quietly. "Please..."

"No!" Sara said, turning around to look at him. The sight Nick saw made him want to cry. Sara was trying to look like she was seething with anger towards him, and that she was hurt at the same time, but Nick could tell that there was another expression on her face- shame. She was ashamed that he had seen these pictures...of her in such a pathetic, vulnerable state. She was ashamed that he had found out about her deepest, darkest secret.

"Sar..." Nick said again. "I'm sorry...it wasn't my place, I shouldn't have...looked that up.."

"No you shouldn't have!" Sara yelled. "So where did you go, Nick? Did you go to the lab? I bet you had Brass help you, too!" Turning away, she looked down at the floor, fighting back the tears that were forming in her eyes. "It was none of your business!"

"Sar.." Nick said. "It was my business...because you're my friend. Why didn't you tell me about this before?" Nick asked softly.

"Why?" Sara asked quietly. "Why?" she asked again, a bitter laugh soon following her words. "Why, Nick?" she asked yet again, turning around to look at him. "After seeing those pictures, and reading those files, you still want to know why I didn't tell you?" she asked, taking a step toward him.

"Sara..." Nick said, taking a step back. "You need to calm down...please.."

"Why I didn't tell you, Nick, was because I didn't want anyone to know! I'm not proud about my childhood! You wouldn't be either, if you were in my shoes! It doesn't make me feel happy to know that even one of my closest friends knows about this now!"

"But Sar.." Nick told her. "We can help you get through this, we don't judge you."

"Try telling that to Grissom! Or Catherine! Or anyone, for that matter!" Sara said. "Grissom just thinks I'm a too-emotional, empathetic, hopeless alcoholic who only interferes with work! You know that, Nick? Up until just recently he never bothered to ask me why I am the way I am, instead he told me to stop obsessing over one victim because I was going to burn out!"

"Sara.." Nick tried again. She was getting hysterical...the tears were running down her cheeks, there was a squeak to the tone of her voice, telling him that she was choking back sobs and the urge to throw something across the room at the same time.

Ignoring him, Sara continued, "And Catherine isn't any better! Just because she's a mother she thinks she can figure me out. She never stopped and asked me if I was okay, either. And she doesn't understand that not all mothers are like her- caring, nurturing.." Finally her voice started to break. "...understanding, loving..."

"Sara.." Nick said, taking a step toward her.

"Don't, Nick," Sara whispered. Still trying to sound angry, she said, "I don't want to talk to you anymore!"

Nick didn't say anything, he only walked closer toward her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't touch me!" Sara said, tearing herself away from him.

"Sara..." Nick said softly, grabbing her arm before she could go any further. For a minute he just looked at her, and she looked at him with red, puffy, tear-stained eyes. Before she could say or do anything, Nick wrapped his arms tightly around her, taking her into a gentle embrace, resting his head on her shoulder.

Sara was still shocked at the gesture. Why was she letting him do this? She should be angry, she told herself. Why wasn't she still angry? She wanted to smack him a few minutes ago. But...now all that anger was gone, and now she was just sad...and confused...and scared. Burying herself in Nick's arms, Sara cried into his chest, holding onto the loose ends of his shirt as tightly as she could.

"It's okay, Sar..." Nick told her, softly rubbing her back. "It's okay..."

"I'm confused, Nick.." Sara whispered in between tears. "And...scared...and sad...and..." She choked back another sob. "Ashamed."

"Why would you be ashamed, Sar?" Nick asked. "You have nothing to be ashamed of..."

"Yes I do," she whispered. "I have plenty to be ashamed of. My family never cared enough about me to protect me from my father.." she told him. "And now my brother- the other person I thought still cared about me- is forcing me to do something that I don't want to do, even though it's wrong."

"Sar..." Nick told her, slowly lifting her head up to look into his eyes. "Don't say that. I'm here, Sar. And I care about you."

And that just made Sara cry even harder, once again burying her face in his chest as he held onto her tighter. "Thank you, Nick.." she whispered. "Thank you so much..."

"Don't mention it.." Nick told her.

In a matter of a few minutes, Sara had once again fallen asleep in Nick's arms. Smiling, Nick slowly scooped her up into his arms and carried her down to her bedroom, setting her back down on one end of the bed. About to leave the room, Nick stopped himself in mid-step. He didn't want to be alone...and he didn't want to leave her alone, either. He just wanted to hold her...to know that she was safe, to know that she was there- with him- in his arms.

Walking around the foot of the bed, Nick kicked off his shoes and layed down next to her, slowly wrapping an arm around her and pulling her to him. Closing his eyes, he rested his head just above hers as he drifted off to sleep.

But Nick could've sworn he felt his hand being squeezed tightly before he fell asleep.


	8. Like Father Like Son

**A/N: Thanks again to all who reviewed! Here's a new chapter! Oh, and yes, Danny has a bit of a potty-mouth, so I apologize...I did tell him to go wash his mouth out afterwards, but...you know, he's kinda scary... Anyways, I hope you enjoy the new chapter!**

He sat with his arm thrown over the back of the dirty old couch, one leg resting on the other half of the couch. One leg resting on the floor, he held a half-empty beer bottle on his left knee and a photograph in his hand. Taking a swig of the beer, he exhaled deeply, filling the room up with the fowl smell of alcohol and musky cigarettes. The photograph he held in his hand was old; it was ripped in certain places, heck it had been taken over 20 years ago. When things were _good_ in the Sidle children's lives.

He remembered all those years ago- there years when they were actually fairly happy kids- he used to play with his little sister, making sure that she was safe at all times. Whenever she fell and scraped her knee, he had been there to brush away her tears and tell her it was okay. Whenever she grew a picture, he was there to praise her and tell her how pretty it was.

But then there came what seemed to be the Dark Ages of the Sidle family. Their father came home drunk, occasionally bringing other people into his home- people that his wife and children had never even seen before- and he became a completely different person. Much different than the loving father Sara and Daniel once knew.

Daniel tried his best to protect his baby sister from their drunken father, but after a while, he realized something. He couldn't be with her all the time, it was impossible, and she needed to realize that. And besides, he had his own life, his sister could take care of herself. She just needed to grow up, he decided. And it must've been the drugs that finally knocked some sense into him, he thought, because after he started the drugs things were much different.

He was no longer the kind, loving brother from before. He no longer willingly played with his little sister just to make her happy, or helped her up when she fell. He also no longer protected her from their father. Why did he do this? Again, he had his own life, and his geeky little sister was just getting in the way. After a while he forgot about his original motives for doing this in the first place, and he grew hard and cold, a completely different person. It was very similar to what happened to their father.

Looking down at the photograph, Daniel growled as he noticed how happy they all looked in the picture. He was standing there, an arm wrapped around his little sister's shoulder as he smiled for the picture. She was standing there, with just an equally satisfying smile on her face, exposing the teeth in her mouth that hadn't quite come in yet. They both had that sparkle to their eyes, that little tiny sparkle that only came when they were truly having a good time, enjoying themselves.

Daniel smashed the photo in his hand, balling it into a tight fist. Looking down at the old coffee table in front of him, he pushed old newspapers and paper bags away until he saw what he was looking for. He found his metal lighter and flicked the switch a few times before the flame appeared. Putting the flame underneath the picture, he watched as the picture coiled into a scorched black ball, all of the memories faded and thrown onto the floor to make a tiny pile of ashes.

"God I need a smoke.." Daniel sighed, looking around for a pack of cigarettes. Throwing a newspaper down, he picked up a small white pack and took one out, slipping it in his mouth as he flicked the lighter again. "Come on, dammit.." he growled, getting frustrated as he continued to try and get the flame to appear.

That was another thing his little sister had noticed about him when he started the drugs. He had a very short temper, and he was actually becoming very violent. He would throw things across the room, he would shove her into walls, he would sock her sometimes, just because he could. He was becoming violent, he was becoming his father. And Sara and Daniel had both vowed to never become their parents, that was something they had promised each other as well as themselves.

But for Daniel Sidle, it seemed as though all hope was lost. He was going to become his father whether he wanted to or not, apparently.

"Goddammit!" he yelled, throwing the lighter down on the floor. It fell to the floor, making the fate sound of metal hitting concrete, and he quickly got to his feet, the un-lit cigarette falling from his mouth to the floor. Growling in anger once again, he quickly kneeled down and put his hands underneath the old coffee table until he was gripping it, and he turned it over, watching as his act of anger unfolded in front of him. The table smashed into a wall, taking down an old already-cracked mirror with it. Running over to the kitchen of the old run-down house he was in, he grabbed an old kitchen chair and grunted as he threw it across the room.

Soon the building looked worse than it did- floorboards were actually missing from some of the walls, tables were turned over, the sink of the old kitchen had been pulled out and thrown into one of the old bedrooms.

And Daniel was standing above it all, panting with anger and exhaustion as he observed his destruction of the building. He still felt the need to throw something, but the door opened and in walked one of his many partners in crime.

"Hey Danny!" said a tall man with black hair. Looking around the house, he yelled, "Jesus, what happened?"

"Just give me the damn news!" Daniel yelled, his hands balling into fists.

"Okay, okay," the man said, the fear of Daniel's wrath evident in his green eyes. "We've got the supplies," the man told him. "And the gun."

"...Good.." Daniel finally said, a certain firmness to his tone. He was in charge and if these people didn't do what he asked there would be consequences.

"...Hey, man..." the man said, looking down at his hands. "You're bleeding, man..."

Daniel looked down at his hands, just then noticing the torn-up skin, obviously sustained during his line of rage. Walking over to the couch, Daniel grabbed a small cloth lying on a coushin and ripped part of it, wrapping it around his hands. "...And I know where Sara lives, so this should all be in order."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" the man asked. "I mean...you said she's with the LVPD, this could really go downhill fast.."

"What did you just say?" Daniel asked.

"I asked if you really wanted to do this because it cou--" And then before he could get any further, Daniel had slammed him up against the wall, lifting him up by his shirt collar.

"You don't question me, okay?" Daniel asked. "You do that again..." He reached into his pocket and a knife snapped out from its black handle. "And I'm going to shove this knife right into your fucking heart, do you hear me?"

"...Yeah..." the man said timidly. "Yeah, I do Daniel, I'm sorry.."

"You're damn right you're sorry!" Daniel yelled, finally letting go of him. Walking over to the front door of the house, he threw it open and stepped out onto the porch, leaning against the railing as the blade of his knife receeded back into its handle and he put it back in his back pocket. "You said the car was going to be here," Daniel hissed.

"It's coming," the man said, still trying to keep his distance from him. "They said they were coming."

Daniel just impatiently drummed his fingers against the rusting metal railing as he waited for the car to come. It was getting late, and they were supposed to move into action the second the clock struck ten o'clock. They were going to drive from here to Sara's apartment, pick her up (with or without her consent), head over to the original crime-scene and do what they needed to do. It was simple, Daniel thought, unless Baby Sister had to go and make it complicated.

A smirk creeped around the corners of Daniel's mouth as he heard the car pull up. Walking down the walk-way, he got inside and pushed the driver out of the way, taking control of the car. When the other men had jumped into the car, he started it up again.

"Time to go pay Little Sister another visit."


	9. Knock at the Door Punch in the Face

**A/N: Thanks once again to all who reviewed!**

Sara awoke when she heard a knock at the door. It wasn't a soft knock, it was more of a loud pounding noise, as if someone or something had rammed into the door. Rolling over a little, she turned to see a still-sleeping Nick next to her with his arm wrapped around her. Frowning a little as she knew she would have to move his arm, she gently removed the hold he had around her waist and sat up, stretching and yawning as she got to her feet.

Running a hand through her messy hair, Sara looked over at the clock in the living room trying to determine what time it was. It was dark, so it was either late at night or early in the morning, she deducted. Looking at the clock she saw that it was 10:32 pm. Tilting her head, she walked over to the door, wondering who would be there so late at night.

...and completely forgetting that there was a possibility that her brother was the person behind the door.

Not bothering to ask or think twice about who could be behind the door, Sara slid the chain off and unclicked the lock, cracking it open. Opening the door, she was surprised the see no one behind it. Maybe it was just the wind, she thought. Or maybe a bored kid running around late at night looking for kicks. Sighing, Sara walked outside and closed the door softly so as not to wake Nick. She decided she would get some fresh air while she was awake, she needed it.

Walking over to the railing near her apartment door, she put both hands on it, slightly leaning forward as the bold night breeze blew against her face. Brushing a stubborn strand of hair away from her face, she tucked it behind her ear and looked down at the ground. She did a double-take when she saw something that caught her eye. It was a cigarette, she knew, she had seen enough of those in her lifetime. But...something was a little off. It looked as though it had just been thrown on the ground, and smoke was still erupting from the very tip of it, which was slowly becoming a small pile of ash.

Sara had to think about this for a minute. Maybe someone just walked by and threw it on the ground, that was normal, there were thousands of smokers in Vegas. But...there was also something eerie about finding that since she had just gotten a knock on her door and opened it only to find no one behind it.

Shrugging it off, Sara was about to go back inside when she felt hands wrap around her. One hand clamped itself over her mouth and another held tightly onto her arms. Her eyes were wild, searching around for some sort of figure in the distance, and she shuddered when the familiar smell of alcohol and cigarettes filled her nostrils from the breath of the person holding onto her.

"Hey Sis..." Daniel started. "Did I scare you?" he asked her. "Sorry 'bout that...but you see, the date of this whole little operation has been moved up..." he said. "So you know what that means?" he asked, looking at her. "That means that you're going to have to help me a lot sooner than we first expected..." he told her.

Sara mumbled something, and he heard her say something about the police. Laughing quietly, he told her, "Sis...no one's going to help you. And you won't need help unless you make this complicated, you know that, don't you?" he asked. "Just like when we were kids, remember? You didn't need any help unless you got in Daddy's way and he got pissed. Well, this is the exact same thing, except now you won't need any help unless you get in Danny's way and he gets pissed."

"See, Sara, I've got this all planned-out..." Daniel said. "We've got a car, we've got the drugs, we've got the gun. All we need is someone who's going to make sure that this whole thing is...discreet. And how lucky am I to have a sister in your profession?" he asked with a smile, finally removing his hand from her mouth.

"You can't do this..." Sara said. "I'm not a little kid anymore, I'm an adult."

Daniel just laughed. "Yeah, you're a big girl now, you're in the big leagues, congratulations. Tell me something, Sara- if you're so grown-up now, why can't you take care of yourself? Why do you have to have this...guy...staying with you all the time to wipe up your mouth when you spit up?" he asked.

Sara froze, her eyes widening. He didn't just say that, he couldn't know about Nick. How would he know Nick was in there? She was so sure that Daniel hadn't seen Nick when he had come into her apartment that night, she was sure of it!

"Yes, I do know about the little boyfriend," Daniel said. "And let me just tell you something- you do anything to mess this up, Sis, and I mean absolutely _anything_, little Nicky goes bye-bye."

"Leave him out of this!" Sara said. "Don't you dare bring anyone else into this, this is between you and me!"

Daniel rose his hand and struck her across the face, watching as her head quickly shot to the left at the impact of the back of his hand connecting with her face. "I know you didn't just tell me to not do something, Sara. You don't _ever_ tell me to or not to do something, you hear me? I'm the big brother, the big hancho, the man, the guy in charge, the boss. Understand?" he asked. "Because I'm not going to tolerate imperfection or insubordinance in this operation. This has to go smooth as silk, hear me?" he asked.

Sara turned back to look at him, fear in her eyes. What was she going to do? She knew she wasn't going to be able to do this, but at the same time she didn't want to invoke anymore of her brother's wrath...and she couldn't risk what he might do to Nick. "I understand..." Sara whispered, bringing a hand up to lightly brush against her cheek.

"Good," Daniel said with a smile. "Come on, then, the car's waiting," he told her. Heading over to the car, he reached into his pocket and took the keys out. Sara was hesitant, not making a move. Maybe she could run off...or maybe she could run back inside her apartment to call the police. Making her decision, Sara quickly reached a hand out to the doorknob when she felt cold hands wrap themselves around both of her arms. And these weren't her brother's hands.

She felt a cold breath on the back of her neck as her arms were brought back to her sides. Whoever it was who had grabbed her was silent, but it finally struck her who it was that was holding onto her. This was the guy from the bar all those months ago, she recognized the heavy breathing and...the feel of his hands.

When Sara didn't appear around the corner, Daniel frowned and got out of the car, walking back over to the apartment door. Frowning when he saw her still standing in the same place as before, he shook his head. "Sara..." he sighed. "I knew you were stubborn, but...this is ridiculous," he told her. "Anyways, I believe you and he have already..." he smiled. "'Met'."

"H-How would you know?" Sara asked, cursing when she noticed the frightened trembling tone to her voice.

"Oh, well, you know, I heard about your little altercation at the bar that night. You see, Jace is actually one of my friends, and when he came back with a black-eye that night I just had to ask what happened," he shrugged. "So he told me that he went to a bar and ran into a tall brunette, long legs, brown eyes. And then he said that when you two were still getting...acquainted, some Texan stepped out of the bar and ruined it for him, slugged him. So I made the connection, knew it was that Stokes guy and of course, who knows his sister better than her own brother? I told Jace he could come along tonight and help...keep you in-line if you didn't follow orders."

Jace just smiled, leaning his head toward her ear. "We're going to have a lot of fun tonight," he whispered.

Sara felt a shiver run down her spine as she again felt his breath hit her neck. This was seriously not good. Now she didn't only run the risk of being beaten to a bloody pulp if she didn't do what Daniel asked, but she also ran the risk of being raped by one of his partners.

"Danny...you don't have to do this," Sara whispered. "I'm your sister, don't you remember all those good times we had together? Playing outside, or, or stealing a cookie or two before dinner?"

Daniel laughed. This was a sickening laugh, a laugh that was harsh to the ears- a laugh so bitter and hoarse and crackily that it would make a mirror break. "Sara, you haven't changed a bit," he told her. "You've changed a bit on the outside- height, weight..."

"And some really nice cleavage," Jace added, his arms holding tightly onto her waist.

Daniel laughed again. "But as I was saying, you've changed a bit on the outside but on the inside you're just the same. You're still that frightened six-year-old girl I saw hiding in her closet with her stupid teddy bear all those years ago because Daddy was home," he said. "You need to change, Sara, you really do, or people are going to walk all over you your entire life. Kind of like right now, huh?" he asked with a smile.

"I'm not going to let you do this!" Sara yelled.

"Oh?" Daniel asked. "And how are you going to stop me?" He watched as Sara remained silent. "Seriously, I'm itching to see how you would stop me. Jace, let her go for a minute." Jace just groaned as he reluctantly removed his hold he had around her waist. "Alright, Sara," Daniel said. "Show me." Without any warning, Daniel slugged her across the face, watching as she groaned and fell against the apartment door. "What are you going to do, Sara?" Daniel asked. "What are you going to do? I'm here, hit me! Hit me, protect yourself, fight back!"

Sara just looked up at him in disbelief as she wiped a drop of blood from her mouth. He was insane, he really was turning into their father...and it really seemed like he was trying to make her become her mother, as well.

Just as Daniel was about to throw another punch, the door was thrown open and the sound of a gun cocking filled everyone's ears. Sara looked up in relief as Nick's figure poked through the door and stood right in the doorway with his gun drawn, trained on Daniel. "You get the hell out of here right now!" Nick warned.

"Nick..." Sara whispered.

"It's okay, Sar..." Nick told her, holding his hand out to her. "Come on, it's okay."

Sara was about to accept the hand extended to her when he saw a man standing behind her. "No!" Jace yelled. "No, she's mine!"

Nick quickly trained the gun on the man that was standing behind her. "Don't you even think about it, you sick bastard," he hissed, grabbing onto Sara's hand and pulling her towards him. Helping Sara to her feet, Nick wrapped a protective arm around her waist. "Did he touch you?" he whispered into her ear. Sara just shook her head. "I'm sorry..." Nick whispered. "I wasn't able to get to you before he hurt you."

"It's okay," Sara whispered, clinging onto him tightly.

Daniel smiled. "So what now, Nicky?" he asked. "What now? How do you know that I don't have someone somewhere with a gun trained on you right now?" he said. "How do you know? And you only have one gun and there's two of us, think about it," he told him.

"There's two of us, too.." Nick said.

"What?" Daniel asked. "Don't tell me that you're counting Sara." He just laughed another bitter laugh. "Sara is not a person, she is not an equal to you or I. She is a tool, and nothing more."

Nick growled, holding onto her tightly. "Don't you dare say that, you son of a bitch! She's a lot more than you'll ever be!"

"Oh, Sis, are you going to let him talk to your big brother like that?" Daniel asked with a frown.

Sara, still holding onto Nick as tight as she could, felt a new-found confidence in herself. "Yes."


	10. Love

**A/N: Thanks again for all the reviews, guys! You guys are awesome!  
**

"How dare you..." Daniel hissed. "I'm going to--"

"What?" Sara asked. "What are you going to do? Hit me? Let me tell you something, Danny, I've been hit before. I've been beaten to a bloody pulp before. What's going to make this time any different? I'm not scared of you, Danny, get that through your mind. This whole power-trip that you're going on is a waste. I'm not going to plant evidence or deliver any drugs, so you can shove this whole inferiority complex you have planned right up your ass."

Daniel growled, his hands balling into fists. Sara immediately regretted saying those words. She watched as he reached behind him and pulled something out of the back of his pants. Wondering what it was, she got her answer when she heard a gun cock. "I'm going to kill you..." Daniel growled. "Both of you! I'm going to slaughter both of you! And I'm saving your little boyfriend for last!"

"Nick, get inside," Sara said, backing up with him toward the door slowly.

"Sar, I have a gun, too..."

"Nick, get inside, now!" Sara yelled, propelling herself backwards so that they were both shoved inside. Once they were both inside she kicked the door shut and ran over to it, turning the lock and sliding the chain in place.

"Sara, what?" Nick asked.

"Nick...he has a gun, too. I know you do, but...a bullet travels faster than you think. One second you could have your gun cocked, and then the next you could feel something warm trickling down your chest.." Sara whispered.

"Sara, it's going to be okay," Nick said, walking over to her. "Trust me..." he told her, holding his arms out to her. Taking her into a gentle embrace, they both jumped and Sara let out a small scream when a bullet connected with the door. "Get down!" Nick yelled, shoving them both to the ground as the bullet entered through the door, hitting just above their heads.

"Nick!" Sara screamed. "What are we going to do?"

"Just...stay calm.." Nick said, though he really didn't know what they were going to do, either. "Do you have your gun?"

"Not with me.." Sara said. "It's...on my dresser.."

"Go get it," Nick told her, slowly pushing her toward the kitchen. "Keep your head down and run and get it," he said. "And then come back..." He watched as she looked up at him, arms and legs shaking. "It's going to be okay, Sar..." Nick told her. "Now go!"

Sara just nodded and crouched down, careful to stay out of view of the windows and other possible openings for bullets to travel through. Running into her room, she grabbed her gun from off her dresser and cocked it, watching as a shell casing fell onto the floor. Noting that it was out of bullets, she sighed and reached into her drawer, getting some ammunition to fill it with.

"Sara!" Nick yelled as another bullet went through the door. "Hurry!"

"I'm trying!" Sara called back, getting frustrated as she tried to load her gun. Grabbing the bullet she had from between her teeth, she quickly loaded it and then cocked it. Looking around her room, she spotted something and thought for a minute before making her decision.

"SARA!" Nick yelled, hiding behind the couch. "Come on!"

Sara quickly ran out of her room when she was finished with her gun in front of her, pointed at the floor. Running toward Nick, she looked up to see a window shattered, and her mind didn't fully register what was going on until it was too late. She froze, looking at her brother's form through the window frame. He had a sickening grin on his face as he held his gun in front of him, pointing it straight at her.

"SARA, MOVE!" Nick yelled, seeing this. He wasn't going to let her get hurt more than she already was, he had promised her!

Sara just stood frozen, her eyes widening as the sound of a bullet ripping through the air filled everyone's ears. She felt a burning sensation in her chest as she fell backwards, hitting the floor with a thud, her gun falling to the floor by her motionless hand.

"NO!" Nick yelled, running over to her. He fell flat on the floor when more bullets rang through the apartment. Covering his head with his hands, he looked over at Sara's motionless form laying on the floor. "Sar, come on.." Nick whispered, crawling toward her. She remained motionless. "Sar.." Nick whispered, starting to get teary-eyed. "Sar, come on, don't...no, you can't...you have to stay with me.." Nick told her, hearing sirens approaching.

"Shit!" Daniel cursed from outside. "Jace, come on, we're getting out of here!" Jace nodded and they quickly ran toward the car from before, jumping inside.

"Start it, man!" Jace yelled.

"I'm trying!" Daniel hissed. "It's not starting!"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, 'IT'S NOT STARTING'?"

"I MEAN IT'S NOT STARTING!" Daniel yelled.

"Sar...come on.." Nick whispered, crawling over to her and grabbing her hand, still staying on the floor just incase.

"LVPD, FREEZE!" Brass yelled once they had arrived at the apartment. With his gun drawn in front of him, he approached the car cautiously. "Get out with your hands on your head and drop your weapons!"

"Shit..." Daniel muttered.

"GET OUT OR I WILL SHOOT!" Brass yelled, Sofia appearing by his side.

Daniel and Jace just sighed, getting out of the car. Daniel threw his gun to the ground and officers immediately ran over to them both, slamming them against the hood of patrol cars and cuffing their hands into place behind their backs.

"This was a nice little stunt you pulled," Jace mumbled to Daniel.

"Shut the hell up, you sick freak," Daniel muttered as they were dragged off to patrol cars.

"It's clear," an officer said once they had ran around the perimeter of the building.

"Come on," Brass told Sofia, running over to Sara's apartment door. With their guns held in front of them, Brass kicked it down and ran inside, shining his flashlight around with his gun still in front of them. "Nick, Sara?" Brass asked. "Where are you two?"

"O-Over here.." Nick whispered.

Brass quickly ran over to them, holstering his gun. "Nick...? What's going on..?"

Nick was sitting on the floor with his back slouched over. He held Sara in his arms, holding her against his chest tightly as he sobbed quietly. "Jim...he shot her," he whispered. "I wasn't...able to..protect her..."

Brass sighed, looking down at Sara. And then noticing something, he blinked. "Nick...she's wearing her vest..."

"No...Jim, she's gone...look at her, she's so pale, she's not moving..."

"Nick...there's no blood, look...she's wearing her kevlar vest..."

"Huh..?" Nick finally asked, sniffling. Looking down at Sara, he noticed the black vest she was wearing and saw how the bullet impacted her chest, leaving a dent in the hard metal.

"Ugh..." Sara groaned, squeezing her eyes tightly shut.

"S-Sar..?" Nick asked, wiping his tears away.

"God..." Sara mumbled, cracking an eye open. "That hurt..."

"Sar...? Are...you okay?" Nick asked.

"Yeah...I'm fine," Sara said, slowly sitting up. "It's going to leave a nasty bruise, but I'm fine..."

Nick just wailed, throwing his arms around her tightly, burying his face in the crook of her neck as he cried. "I was so scared!" he said. "I thought you were gone!"

"No...Nick," Sara said with a smile. "You can't get rid of me that easily...but...you're...crushing me.." she told him.

"Right! Sorry..." Nick said, letting go of her. Looking down at her, he smiled again. "Don't ever scare me like that again..."

"Sorry..." Sara said, reaching up and brushing one of his tears away with the tip of her finger.

"Don't...sweat it.." Nick said, just then noticing the close proximity between the two of them. "..Sar...I-" And then before Nick could say anything else, Sara had closed the small space between the two of them, pressing her lips against his. Nick's eyes widened, he himself still taken aback momentarily by the gesture, but he slowly closed his eyes and returned the kiss.

"Nick, Sara, there's an ambulance outsi--" Brass cut Sofia off when she was in mid-sentence, slowly shoving her out of the apartment. "Jim, what are you doing?" Sofia asked.

"You're interrupting," Brass told her, pointing to the two of them inside.

"What?" Sofia asked, poking her head back inside. "Oh...oh..." Sofia said with a smile, poking her head outside again. "I see."

"You're never going to be alone, Sara.." Nick told her, holding onto her tightly. "I promise...never again..."

"Thank you, Nick..." Sara told him.

"You're welcome," Nick replied. "Sara...I..love you..."

Sara just smiled. "I love you, too, Nick."


	11. Daddy's Little Girl

**A/N: THANK YOU again to all who reviewed! Really means a lot to me. Hope you guys like this new chapter.**

Nick helped Sara to her feet and they removed her kevlar vest to see how bad the bruise was. Nick slowly unbuttoned the top buttons of her shirt to inspect the bruise, a light red color slightly flushing his cheek as the realization of what he was actually doing hit him. Trying to shake it off, he grimaced when he saw the bruise, and didn't think twice as his fingers automatically moved to brush over it.

Sara smiled a little when she noticed him blushing, but then she winced when he touched it. "Sorry..." Nick mumbled.

"It's okay," Sara assured him with a smile. Heading outside, Nick walked behind her and they stopped just outside the door, looking around. Daniel and Jace were being loaded into patrol cars, unwillingly, they might add.

"Get your hands off of me, you pig!" Jace yelled as he was shoved into the back of a car. Sara and Nick couldn't help but find this a bit ironic after seeing what type of person Jace was. Brass slammed the door before he could say anything else.

Nick wrapped his arms tightly around Sara's waist. Even though Jace and Daniel had been subdued and were on their way to the police station, he couldn't help but still feel the strong urge to not let Sara out of his sight. Resting his head on her shoulder, he kissed her cheek softly as they watched an officer carry a thrashing Daniel Sidle toward another patrol car.

Kicking and punching and throwing obscenities over his shoulder, Daniel's gaze fell on Nick and Sara. With a smile on his face, he said, "Hey! Sis! I saw you and that guy kissing! Maybe he won't be like Dad was, huh? Coming into your room every night with that little 'surprise' for you!"

Sara froze. Her heart skipped a beat. She forgot to breathe. Everything started spinning, she was so sure she was going to faint. And all of this just from the shock of her brother saying those words. Sara hadn't had a happy childhood, there was abuse, and lies, and hatred... She knew that eventually word of the physical abuse in her past might come out...but never in hell was she prepared for the day that the sexual abuse might come out.

"...What?" Nick asked, blinking. "...Sar?" he asked, looking down at her. Sara's face had drained of color completely. She looked like she was lost in another time, another place. "Sar..." Nick said a bit louder, trying to free her from her trance.

Daniel laughed when he got the reaction out of Sara he was hoping for. "Remember that, Sis?" he asked. If he was going to jail for god-only-knows-how-long, he was going to make sure that his sister had a total emotional breakdown. "I remember the first night it happened! You came into my room late at night with your teddy bear and asked me what a whore was because that was what Daddy called you!"

Nick felt a sinking feeling in his stomach as Daniel continued. He wanted to go over to him and beat the crap out of him, but another part of him wanted to know what exactly he was talking about. Looking down at Sara, he saw how wide her eyes were- wide with fear and shock. "Sar..." he whispered, trying to get through to her yet again. He got no reaction, she didn't even blink when he said her name.

"Hey, Nick!" Daniel yelled, not letting the officer shove him into the patrol car just yet. He wasn't finished. "I bet you didn't know that Sara lost her virginity at six!"

Nick's mouth opened wide with a gasp and he quickly looked down at Sara. Her eyes were glistening with fresh tears, her face pale and empty. As soon as Daniel finished saying that, Sara tore out of Nick's arms and ran back into her apartment. "Sara!" Nick yelled, about to run after her. Brass stopped him, grabbing ahold of his arm.

"Hang on, Nick..." Brass said. "...Give her a minute." If there was one thing Jim Brass had learned about Sara Sidle in the years she had been in Vegas, it was not to push her to talk. He found that out the day she was popping cough drops at a crime-scene. He used to do that, but for reasons of his own, and those reasons were for drinking. When he asked her about it, she said she had a few beers with breakfast. A few...Brass doubted that. And now it was time to share his wisdom with the younger CSI.

"But...Jim--" Nick started. Brass cut him off.

"Nick...trust me," he said. "Give her a minute."

Nick just sighed, reluctantly nodding. Looking over at the patrol car, Daniel was finally shoved inside and he just laughed, looking over at Nick as the car drove off to the station. "Why...wouldn't she have told me about that..?" he asked, looking over at Brass. "...I thought she trusted me...she trusted me enough to tell me about the physical abuse.."

"...Would you tell someone about that?" Sofia asked, joining the conversation. "I know I wouldn't. She may have told you about the physical abuse, but...even I would have trouble talking about that. This whole thing has been emotionally and physically draining for her, Nick. Everyday she had to worry about the possibility of her brother coming in and pointing a gun at her. And then she had to reveal her dark past, it's hard to do, Nick."

Nick just sighed, loweringh is head. "I...guess you're right," he said. "...I'm going to go see her now," he said, walking into the apartment. "Sar...?" he asked, looking around for her. He didn't see her anywhere, yet. Looking around, he saw her discarded CSI vest on the floor from where they had looked to see how bad her bruise was, but there was no Sara in it. And then Nick heard sobbing from the bedroom.

"Sar...?" he asked quietly, cracking the bedroom door open. The sobbing only seemed to grow louder as he walked into the bedroom. "Sar, where are you?" he asked. And then he determined where the sound was coming from. The closet. Swallowing hard, Nick slowly opened the closet door. "Sar...?" he whispered.

And inside the closet, he found Sara. She was curled up into a tight little ball in the furthest corner of it, knees drawn up to her chest. Tears were streaming down her face, she slowly rocked herself back and forth, her tiny frame racking with each sob that escaped her. In her arms she held a tiny teddy bear, it's sewn mouth dirty and little round button eyes beginning to fade. Whimpering quietly, she shut her eyes tightly, burying her head against the small teddy bear's back.

"I didn't mean to," Sara whispered. "I'm sorry, Daddy, I didn't mean to be bad.."

Nick slowly kneeled down beside her. "Sara..."

"Daddy, please!" Sara whispered, a small squeak to her tone. She curled up even tighter (if that was possible), and shook her head back and forth. "I don't want to..not tonight..." she whispered. "Please...I just..want to sleep..."

Now Nick had tears forming in his eyes. _She's terrified of me._ This was so painful to watch. Sara, _his_ Sara, was going through an emotional crisis, and he couldn't get through to her. She actually thought that he was her father.

"Sar...it's me, Nick..." Nick tried again. "Look at me..."

Sara slowly raised her head up to look at him.

"That's it..." Nick said. "Look, Sar...look into my eyes, it's me..."

Sara did what he asked, still shaking.

"Sar...calm down, okay..? Take some deep breaths..." He watched as Sara slowly calmed down more and more. "Good..." he told her. "Can I sit with you..?" he asked. Sara nodded slowly and he crawled into the closet, closing the door. "It's dark in here..."

"...It...has to be.." Sara whispered. "Or..he'll...see you..."

"Sar..." Nick said. "I know you're scared...but...your dad isn't here.." _He's not even alive._ "Okay...?" he asked. "He can't hurt you anymore, Sara...he's never going to hurt you again...I promise..."

Sara looked up at him with red, puffy eyes. Finally breaking down completely, she buried herself in his arms. Nick immediately wrapped his arms around her shoulders tightly and lifted her onto his lap, cradling her in his arms like a small child. He rocked her back and forth as she continued to cry. "Shh..." he told her. "Shh...it's okay, Sara..." Sara slowly calmed down until she fell asleep with the teddy bear from before still wrapped tightly in her arms.

Nick sighed, running a hand through her hair. He could only imagine what she had to go through when she was a child. Nick had gone through something similar, with his babysitter when he was nine-years-old, but he couldn't bare to even try and think about how many years both the physical and sexual abuse went on for Sara.

Looking down at her, Nick reached over and wiped the tears away from her face. Getting comfortable, he slowly sunk further down onto the floor of the empty closet. Resting his head against Sara's, he kissed her forehead and continued to rock her back and forth as she slept.

Brass walked into the bedroom and slowly opened the closet. When Sara whimpered, Nick quickly shook his head and mouthed for him to go. Brass nodded, and after shooting one more concerned look at Sara, closed the closet door until they both were once again engulfed in the darkness.


	12. Somehow, Some way

**A/N: THANK YOU GUYS!**

_"Mommy, look, I drew a picture," Sara said, holding up the picture she had just colored high above her head with a big smile on her face._

_"I see that, Sara," her mother sighed, rubbing her head with the tips of her fingers._

_"..Mommy, what's wrong?" Sara asked, jumping up onto her lap. "You look sad."_

_"I'm not sad, honey," her mother assured her. "Really, I'm not."_

_"Okay," Sara shrugged, getting up off of her mother's lap. Running down the hallway, she turned and ran into her bedroom, setting the picture down on the floor. Grabbing her teddy bear, she set him down and grabbed a crayon, handing it to him. "Come on, Mr. Snucckums, you can color, too!" she told him. "We gotta make Daddy the bestest most prettiest picture!" she said. "We don't want him to feel left out 'cause we only drew Mommy one!"_

_The teddy bear looked up at her with its sappy button eyes as it fell off balance and tumbled onto the floor. Sara just giggled and grabbed a red crayon and a piece of paper, starting to scribble on the paper. "Daddy likes red!" Sara told the bear. "I'm gonna put lots of red in the picture!" Reaching over for the darker-colored red crayon, she scribbled in some more._

_"There!" Sara said, smiling when she was finally finished. "Daddy's gonna love it!" she said, looking over at Mr. Snucckums. Walking out of her room with the picture at her side, the front door opened just in time for Sara to see her father walk through the door. He was obviously more than a little drunk._

_"John, I don't want you here!" her mother yelled. "You're a different man when you're drunk, I'm kicking you out!"_

_Her father ignored her mother, looking down at Sara. Sara greeted him with a wide, toothy grin. "Daddy!" she said, running over to him and throwing her arms around his legs. "Look, Daddy- I drew you a picture!" she said, holding the picture up._

_"There's my little angel," her father said, leaning down. Sara thought he was going to hug her, but instead he picked her up by her tiny arms and headed down the hallway. _

_"Daddy, what are we doing?" Sara asked. "Are we playing airplane? That's fun!"_

_"You're such a good girl," her father told her, his words slurred._

_"Daddy, I know I'm a good girl!" Sara said. "Mommy tells me all the time!"_

_"Such a good girl..." her father repeated, walking her into her bedroom. Sara noticed his grip on her arms tightening considerably. Her little face crinkled in a frown as she looked up at him. _

_"Daddy, what are we doing?" she asked again. "You're hurting me.." she commented, feeling his large fingers wrapping themselves even tighter around her tiny arms._

_"We're going to play a game, Sara," her father told her, walking into her room._

_"A game? Really?" she asked. "What kinda game? I like games, they're fun! Are we gonna play hide-and-seek? Or ring-around-the-rosie?" she asked, her face brightening despite the death grip her father had on her arms._

_"No, honey," he told her, slowly setting her down on the floor. Sara frowned, tilting her head as her father closed the door behind him. "We're going to play something else. It's fun, I promise."_

_"What is it?" Sara asked. "Have I played if before?"_

_"No," he told her, grabbing her arm and leading her over to her bed. "No, you haven't."_

_"Are we gonna have a sleep-over?" Sara asked. "That sounds like fun, 'cept...I don't have any friends. Except Mr. Snucckums, of course!" she added, picking the bear up off of the floor._

_"No, Sara, we're not," he told her, lifting her up and setting her down on her bed, right next to the pink comforter. "We're going to play something else," he told her, fumbling with his belt buckle. _

_"Daddy, what are you doing?" she asked. "Why are you getting undressed in my room? Are you gonna take a bath? I like baths! They're fun...but I don't have a bathtub!"_

_"You're such a good girl," her father repeated, throwing his belt off to his left. "Such a good, good girl..."_

_  
"Daddy, you've said that!" Sara said. "What are you doing?"_

_"Good girl.." her father said again, advancing on her. Sara was curled up in a tiny ball, holding onto Mr. Snucckums. What was her father doing? This wasn't like him. He was starting to scare her, he had never done this before. Sara wasn't liking this game._

_"Daddy, I don't like this game," Sara said. "Can I just color instead? Did you not like my picture? I'll color another one, it'll be even prettier, I promise!"_

_Her father didn't hear her. Or he did, and he didn't care, it was hard to tell. He sat on the edge of her bed and starting crawling toward her on his knees. "Lay down, honey..." he told her._

_"Daddy, nuh-uh, I don't like this game," Sara repeated. "I'm gonna go say hi to Danny!" she said, jumping off of her bed. "BYe, Daddy!"_

_Before she could get anywhere her father had grabbed both of her shoulders, yanking her back over to the bed. He roughly shoved her down so that she was laying flat on her back._

_"Daddy," Sara whispered. "Stop it, okay? Stop? It hurts, Daddy..."_

_"We're still playing the game, Sara," he told her, putting one hand on her stomach._

_  
"Daddy, no? No, okay? Please? I don't wanna..."_

_"But this is what daddies and daughters do, Sara," he explained. "They're supposed to do this. Don't you want to? Everyone else does it with their daddies."_

_"I don't wanna, Daddy," Sara repeated._

_"Nonsense..." he assured her, straddling her tiny waist. "That's rubbish, and you know it."_

_"Daddy, I don't wanna!" Sara repeated, starting to panic. "You're scaring me, Daddy! And Mr. Snucckums, too! He's scared, look!"_

_Her father didn't stop. Instead, Sara soon found herself underneath her father's body, watching as he did things to her. Bad things. She didn't like this game, it wasn't fun...but her daddy seemed to be having fun. Mr. Snucckums was right by her side, still staring over at her with his little sappy button eyes, his little black-stitched mouth made into a frown._

_"Daddy, stop it," Sara whispered, tears running down her face. "It hurts, Daddy."_

_"Be quiet..." he hissed, his entire tone changing. "You're my little angel, my little princess...you're my daughter, you don't say no..."_

_"Daddy, please? Just this once?" Sara whispered. _

_"No, Sara," he said. "You've made me mad, you're a bad girl."_

_"Daddy, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be bad," Sara whispered. "I'm so sorry, Daddy, please? Please...let me sleep? I promise to be good, I'll try, I really will!"_

_"This is all you're ever going to be good for," he told her. "You little whore, this is what you're good for and nothing else. No one else is going to love you like I do, understand?"_

_"Daddy..." Sara whispered, starting to cry again. "Daddy, you're being mean..."_

_Finally, after what seemed like hours, her father was finished. He got up off of her and got dressed, trotting out of her room with the occasional swaying. He slammed her door behind him and stomped down the hallway, heading out the front door. Sara waited a few moments to make sure he was really gone before she got up and got dressed. Holding onto Mr. Snucckums as tight as she could, she buried her tear-stained cheeks in the bear's tiny back and slowly opened her door._

_The door creaked open and she walked down the hallway to her brother's room. She knocked softly and the door cracked open, only for her to discover her brother asleep in his bed. Sara swallowed and walked into his room, maneuvering her way around dirty socks and old sneakers and clothes. "Danny..." she whispered, tugging on his shirt sleeve. "Danny...wake up..."_

_Her brother groaned, rolling over onto his side to face her. Cracking an eye open, he sighed, trying to make himself become alert and awake. "What is it, Sara?"_

_"...Danny..." Sara whispered. "What's a whore?"_

Sara whimpered as she slept in Nick's arms, her fists clenching onto the loose ends of his shirt as tightly as they could. She looked absolutely terrified, Nick could only guess what she was dreaming about. Nick slowly rocked her back and forth, his body slowly going numb from being in the same position for so long in the dark, empty closet. "Sar...it's okay," Nick whispered into her ear. "It's okay...I promise..."

Nick looked down at her. His words didn't seem to have made a difference. She started to shake now, and she mumbled a few things. Nick leaned closer to try and decipher what she said, but it was to no avail. She was becoming hysterical, he knew...and she was still asleep.

"Sara, it's okay..." Nick whispered again. "I promise, it's going to be okay...no one can hurt you anymore..."

"Daddy, no.." Sara whispered. "Daddy, stop it, okay?" she whispered. "I...want to sleep..." she said. "Please?"

Nick swallowed hard, brushing a strand of hair out of her eyes.

"Daddy, I'm sorry!" Sara whispered. "I'm sorry! I promise to be good! I tried, I really did! I'll try harder next time!"

Nick bit his tongue so that he wouldn't scream. He wanted to beat the living daylights out of her father, but luckily for her father he was already dead.

"Sara, you are good..." Nick whispered. "You are good...you've never been bad, okay? None of it was your fault..." he whispered.

Sara slowly cracked an eye open, looking around the dark closet. She couldn't make anything out, let alone where this strange comforting voice was coming from. She felt arms around her, though. Whose arms? They couldn't be her father's, could they? "D-Daddy...?" Sara whispered. The fear in her voice was evident.

"No, Sar..." Nick whispered. "It's me...Nick..."

"Nick..." Sara whispered, holding onto him tightly. Crawling further into his lap, she rested her head against his chest, shaking with fright. "I-I'm sorry..."

"It's okay, Sara, it wasn't your fault," Nick whispered.

"Yes it was," Sara whispered. "Daddy said I was bad..."

"But Sara, you weren't bad..." Nick said. "You've never been bad.." he repeated. "Your father was the one being bad...you said no, he should've stopped...he didn't have the right to touch you like that..."

Sara just nodded slowly.

"I'm going to get you out of here, okay? We're going to go to the ambulance so they can check you out, 'kay?"

"Okay...but...don't let go," Sara whispered.

"I won't," Nick assured her. Scooping her up into his arms, Nick slowly opened the closet, careful not to make any sudden movements that would frighten Sara. He squinted as light filled the closet- he felt like a vampire, it seemed like forever since he had last seen the sun and it was burning his eyes. Getting to his feet, Nick kept Sara in his arms, holding onto her as tight as he could to let her know he was there. Running his fingers through her hair, he whispered soothing things into her ear every time he got the occasional whimper or two.

He carried her over to the ambulance, nodding to both Sofia and Brass that she was okay. Getting inside, he cradled her in his arms as the EMT walked over to them. "Okay, Sara," Nick said. "This paramedic just wants to make sure you're okay..."

"Okay..." Sara whispered.

Nick nodded and gently set her down on the stretcher inside. He grabbed onto her hand and she quickly squeezed it as the paramedic looked down at her.

"Where did the bullet impact?" the paramedic asked Nick. Nick slowly pointed to an area on her chest just below her neck where it had impacted the vest, now covered by her shirt. The paramedic gently moved the fabric away and Sara looked up at Nick for reassurance.

"It's okay," Nick told her. "They're not going to hurt you." Sara just nodded.

"It doesn't look too bad," the paramedic said. "Lucky it didn't hit lower, it could've damaged her heart if it had," he commented. "Does it hurt?" he asked Sara.

"...Not..that much," Sara whispered.

"Okay," the paramedic said. "Now, about the bruises and cuts on your face.."

Nick had almost forgotten about those. Looking down at her face, he frowned when he saw the cut on her lip and the bruises forming around her jaw and cheeks under her eyes. If only he hadn't fallen asleep, he would've been able to prevent her brother from laying a finger, let alone a fist on her.

"Alright.." the paramedic said. "I'm going to clean this cut here..." he said, getting a small cloth out. Wetting it with something, he gently rubbed it over her lip. Sara didn't know what it was, it was probably alcohol, she thought, but it stung.

"It's okay, Sara," Nick whispered, rubbing her hand with his thumb softly. "You're doing good..."

Sara nodded as the paramedic finished. After he cleaned and dressed a few more cuts and scrapes he sent them on their way. Nick and Sara were escorted to a patrol car where an officer had been ordered by Brass to take them to a hotel.

"The Bellagio, nice," Nick commented, trying to lighten the mood.

"...Only time I've been there was for a four-nineteen," Sara muttered.

Nick looked over at her with a smile. "Yeah, well...it'll be okay. Anyone comes near you and I'll punch their brains out."

Sara looked over at him, laughing. "I'm sure you would..." she told him.

The rest of the ride was pretty much silent. Sara finally made a move and scooted closer to Nick, leaning her head against his shoulder. He smiled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, gently rubbing her arm with his hand.

Somehow, some way, they knew everything was going to be okay.

As long as they had each other, things would get better.

Somehow.

Some way.

The End


End file.
